Controllers now get to try to figure out what went wrong.

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Late last week, NASA's Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft experienced some sort of problem that caused it to enter what's called emergency mode. This should only occur when the spacecraft experiences a serious problem, as it limits its activity and burns through the probe's limited fuel supply at an accelerated pace. This incident marked the first time since Kepler was launched in 2009 that it entered emergency mode.

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Today, NASA announced that it had re-established normal communication with Kepler, allowing the spacecraft to exit emergency mode. The telescope's communication hardware is once again pointed directly at Earth. This has allowed controllers to put Kepler in an operational mode where it consumes far less fuel, which will extend its usable life.

But first, the controllers must figure out why Kepler entered emergency mode in the first place. Full communications will allow them to download telemetry and operational data, which will hopefully allow them to identify the underlying problem. Until they do, however, planned observations of the Milky Way's galactic core have been put on hold. The window for observing the core from Kepler's current location closes on July first. Its previous observation work ended in late March, and all data from that work has already been transferred to Earth.

In a statement announcing the recovery, NASA's Charlie Sobeck said:

It was the quick response and determination of the engineers throughout the weekend that led to the recovery. We are deeply appreciative of their efforts, and for the outpouring of support from the mission's fans and followers from around the world. We also recognize the tremendous support from NASA’s Deep Space Network, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and to NASA’s other missions that surrendered their scheduled telemetry links in order to provide us with the resources needed to protect the Kepler spacecraft.